The Past stays Passed
by strawberrybeach
Summary: Karin had lost everything: her crew, her ship, her purpose. And waking up in a strange world wouldn't make it any better- or would it? What happens when a girl who has lost her will to live meets the mages of Fairy Tail?
1. The Past Stays Passed

"NO!" I screamed out; the memories of the bodies of my crew lying all around me in their own blood returning. "You bastard..." my eyes stung, blinding me as the pain from every wound that covered my body throbbed. "Goodbye." My opponent grinned wickedly as I started to glow "What...?" I stared at my hands as they slowly disintegrated into nothing, and all at once; so did the rest of me.

"Damn... what happened?" I groaned and then winced as my whole body throbbed. Some of my wounds opened up and started bleeding like there was no tomorrow "Wonderful." I muttered sarcastically. A huge explosion shook the ground and made leaves flutter downward. I looked down at my clothes; they were ripped and bloody- just how I remember them. I struggled to stand and walked away from the sound, not being in any condition to run, let alone fight.

Collapsing by a stream, I closed my eyes, too exhausted and in pain to continue.

A loud crash woke me up "What now?" I muttered as I avoided a tree falling my way. "Bring Lucy back, you bastard monkey!" a pink-haired boy roared as he shambled after a huge purple gorilla thing clutching a blonde-haired girl. "Natsu, my keys!" she yelled back. My body moved on its own and I was off in an instant. Flames burst from the soles of my feet, propelling me forward "Freeze frame!" I pushed my hand out in front of me and ice quickly encased the gorilla, leaving the girl intact and relieved. "Who did that?" the boy whirled around to stare at me "Natsu!" a blue cat with wings flew up beside him and stared at me as well. The blonde girl stepped forward "Tha-" but before she could finish her sentence, I flew off into the opposite direction. "This is bad, I can't let anyone catch me again..." I thought.

Pain seared through my body, cutting off the flames from my feet and sending me stumbling and rolling through the trees, panting heavily. "Damn it..." I tried to get up, but my legs failed me each time. I drew water from the air and wrapped it around my body, then closed my eyes to concentrate on healing myself. The water glowed with healing power for a moment then faded as my body absorbed it, regenerating it. I tried again to run, and found that my legs were strong once again, but I was not fully healed. "Wait!" I heard the young woman yell from behind me- I was definitely not gonna stick around! No matter how innocent a person looked, you could never trust them until they prove themselves- but even then you would feel wary of that person from time to time. I laughed once as I panted heavily, running through the trees- and finally- light!

I ran straight for it, bracing myself if it turned out to be a cliff- as it usually was. Heh. Cliffs were no problem to me at all! "Wait- stop!" she yelled again. I shielded my eyes for a moment before they got used to the light and took in my surroundings; right in front of me was a huge lake, and to the right was a tall, old building not so far from the water's edge, and beyond that was a huge city.

Freezing some water into a board, I jumped onboard and propelled myself forward with a continuous blast of air coming from my palms. I soon reached land and ran toward the building, hoping that there was someplace I could rest.

I sank down on my knees, still breathing heavily from my latest encounter with unknown people. "I barely have any strength left to stand... please, don't let anyone else find me." I mumbled in a silent prayer. "What do we have here?" I heard an authoritative yet gentle voice come from my right. "Damnit." I thought as I grit my teeth and forced my eyes open.

Standing in front of me was a tall and beautiful redhead wearing a white blouse and a blue skirt- on her shoulder there stood out a bright blue mark just like those two in the forest had on their bodies. "Erza? What are you looking at?" a girly, childlike voice that belonged to a blue haired young girl in a green dress reached my ears; she bore the same mark on her left shoulder. "This girl is injured!" she gasped and rushed toward me, hands glowing. I pulled my right hand closer to my face "Don't come any-" I tried to threaten but ended up coughing up blood, getting it all over my hand and down my shirt. But the girl was adamant, she came even closer.

With another grunt of effort, I used the wall to help me up, and ran past the two girls, the older one almost catching me. I sped through the hills, trailing blood behind me with every agonizing step as my wounds bled freely; I was losing blood and fast. I could feel my strength fading with each breath and could no longer keep up with running away. Memories of what happened before I passed out came back to me, and I stopped dead in my tracks right beside a large and new-looking building, (the complete opposite of the old one I had just come from.) catching the attention of those who could see me from the windows. My shoulders shook with the physical pain my body was feeling and the emotional agony my mind was as I recalled every detail of that one night... "We found her Lucy-san, Natsu-san!" the blue haired girl called out "I wonder if they really are trying to help..." I thought to myself and then- nothing.

**Karin: Hello! This is my very first story here; I hope you all like it!**

**Natsu: Who are you talking to?**

**Karin: Who are you- how did you get in here!?**

**Natsu: Who knows?**

**Karin: This guy... well, whatever. Maybe I should add a little romance into the mix sometime soon...**


	2. Home

I opened my eyes once more to find myself in a dark room. Before I started to panic, I noticed a wide window letting the breeze in; the stars twinkled and shone through the tree branches partly covering the night sky. My gaze shifted to the wooden door left slightly ajar, probably by some careless nurse. I could hear a loud and raucous party going on downstairs. Testing my muscles, I found none of them to be sore and most of my wounds had been healed and it was as if nothing had happened to me- the only thing that convinced me that nothing had been a dream was a scar that started from above my right breast and ended halfway up my neck.

I strained my eyes against the darkness, looking for my boots or something to wear on my feet- and found a pair of navy blue slippers that fit me well enough to walk around in. And then, I made my way to through the door and down a flight of steps that lead me to a door not unlike the one I had just gone through. This one I had a little trouble opening. At my third attempt, I finally managed to push it all the way open; it hit the wall with a *bang* and I found that what had been blocking my way was a drunken man smiling as if he had won the lottery.

A pretty white-haired lady came up to me, smiling "Hello there, so you're finally awake. You sure had us worried, sleeping for a straight week like that." Before I could reply, an elderly man appeared from behind her holding a half-empty tankard "So there you are!" he hiccupped and laughed "Mira-chan! Let's get this girlie a drink!" He gestured to me with his tankard, spilling some of its contents onto the floor. "Master, I told you not to have another drinking contest with Cana!" she scolded him "Nonsense! I feel *hic* just fine! Hey, Cana! I ain't gonna lose to a brat like you again! Bwahaha!" He laughed again, screaming at a wooden post "You're in way over your head, old man!" a woman with long, brown hair sporting a blue bikini top and brown pants laughed, enjoying her victory. "Oh my." The white-haired lady giggled "Well, you must be hungry. I'll get you a meal- oh, and Lucy told me to introduce you to her once you woke up." She looked at me expectantly "Oh, I'm Karin." She smiled and laughed again "I'm Mirajane. Lucy and her friends are sitting at that table." She pointed toward a booth occupied by 5 people and two... cats.

"Ah, hello!" the girl with blonde hair whom I presumed to be Lucy greeted me "How are you feeling? Hey, Natsu Move over." She spoke to the pink-haired boy who was arguing with a blue-haired one. I sat down in front of Lucy and recognised the two other girls as the ones who chased me earlier. "Why did you run away from us right after helping me then?" Lucy asked, snapping me out of my recollections. "I thought you might turn me in." I shrugged. She cocked her head to one side in confusion "Eh? Turn you in?" "Are you some kind of fugitive?" the red-haired woman questioned me "Something like that." I met her piercing gaze "Which is why I hardly associate with people I know nothing of. Unless they're like me." I continued. "What do you mean by that? Who are you exactly?" the blue-haired young man asked. I sighed, I couldn't believe that I was about to tell these people my identity "I am Karin. Captain of the ship Aqua Raven with a bounty of 300 million on her head. A pirate." I introduced myself as formally as I knew how to.

"EHH?" the people at the booth jumped "You must be really strong to have a bounty that high on your head!" the pink-haired boy grinned fiercely "Fight me!" "Natsu-san, she hasn't fully healed yet!" the blue-haired girl tried to stop him. "Nah, I don't mind. Let's take it outside." I smirked.

We faced off in front of the building; most of the partygoers had moved outside to watch. "Natsu's fighting the new girl." "She's pretty cute." "Does she know what she's up against?" I heard these whispers from the crowd that had gathered. "Let's start now! Whoever gets pushed out of the ring loses." Natsu's hands lit up in flames "A logia type, huh..." I thought to myself. "Aaaaaaaah!" he ran toward me, fire in his fists intensifying. I drew water from a young tree behind me, making it wither and explode from lack of moisture and getting a few gasps of astonishment from the crowd. I directed the water toward Natsu, freezing the ground below him solid. He slipped and landed on his shoulder as his flames melted the ice. "So she uses water magic!" I heard Lucy exclaim; Natsu whipped his head toward me and light surrounded his feet "_Karyuu no Houko!"_ he spat out flames much stronger than the ones he had used earlier. Quickly, I let the ground underneath my feet collapse and I escaped into it, sealing the hole again quickly. Above, I could hear panicked voices "Natsu, you killed her!" "What the hell-" and laughed quietly to myself. I could sense his body right above me and kicked hard, intending to send him flying.

"Gwah!" he dodged in the nick of time, but I managed to clip his arm. Surprised cries from the crowd filled the air and turned into cheers "She's an earth mage too?" Erza asked. "Heh. Not bad." Natsu held his left arm and winced in pain. He ran toward me once more, aiming for my gut. I jumped as high as I could, using the air around me to direct my landing a few feet away from him. "_Kazaana_!" I yelled as strong winds burst through my palms that were aimed at Natsu, sending him flying then stumbling out of the ring. The crowd was silent for a moment, then burst out in cheers and loud woots. Mirajane came up to me "Your dinner is ready." She smiled "Thank you." I nodded and walked toward Natsu "You're pretty strong." I held out my hand "Thanks for the battle." He took my hand and grinned "So, you're a pretty nice guy after all!" we all returned to the building.

"Explain to me how you are able to use three different types of magic." Erza said back at the booth after I finished eating. "I was born with the ability to use them. People just assume I ate some sort of super devil fruit or something."

"Devil Fruit?"

"If you eat it, your gain the power of the demon residing in it. It's supposedly extremely rare and people would pay a fortune for one of them. They come from only one tree in the whole world and only on of each fruit can exist at a time."

"That' amazing! I've never heard of it, though." Lucy's eyes widened

"That's strange." I mumbled "Anyway, I need to get back to my-" I stopped short

"Your?" Wendy asked

"Nothing. But please, tell me what island this is called."

"Island?"

"Aren't we on the Grand Line?" I asked

"What's that?" Gray raised his eyebrow

"Wait... where am I exactly?"

**Karin: Soooo, there you have it. Chapter 2! I thought I should post both at once for you guys.**

**Erza: Who are you speaking to?**

**Natsu: She calls it 'The readers'**

**Happy: Is that some kind of fish?**

**Karin: It's not!**

**Lucy: You'll get used to it.**

**Karin: *sigh***

**Gray: Don't sigh like that, it attracts bad luck.**


	3. True Identity

I opened my eyes once more to find myself in a dark room. Before I started to panic, I noticed a wide window letting the breeze in; the stars twinkled and shone through the tree branches partly covering the night sky. My gaze shifted to the wooden door left slightly ajar, probably by some careless nurse. I could hear a loud and raucous party going on downstairs. Testing my muscles, I found none of them to be sore and most of my wounds had been healed and it was as if nothing had happened to me- the only thing that convinced me that nothing had been a dream was a scar that started from above my right breast and ended halfway up my neck.

I strained my eyes against the darkness, looking for my boots or something to wear on my feet- and found a pair of navy blue slippers that fit me well enough to walk around in. And then, I made my way to through the door and down a flight of steps that lead me to a door not unlike the one I had just gone through. This one I had a little trouble opening. At my third attempt, I finally managed to push it all the way open; it hit the wall with a *bang* and I found that what had been blocking my way was a drunken man smiling as if he had won the lottery.

A pretty white-haired lady came up to me, smiling "Hello there, so you're finally awake. You sure had us worried, sleeping for a straight week like that." Before I could reply, an elderly man appeared from behind her holding a half-empty tankard "So there you are!" he hiccupped and laughed "Mira-chan! Let's get this girlie a drink!" He gestured to me with his tankard, spilling some of its contents onto the floor. "Master, I told you not to have another drinking contest with Cana!" she scolded him "Nonsense! I feel *hic* just fine! Hey, Cana! I ain't gonna lose to a brat like you again! Bwahaha!" He laughed again, screaming at a wooden post "You're in way over your head, old man!" a woman with long, brown hair sporting a blue bikini top and brown pants laughed, enjoying her victory. "Oh my." The white-haired lady giggled "Well, you must be hungry. I'll get you a meal- oh, and Lucy told me to introduce you to her once you woke up." She looked at me expectantly "Oh, I'm Karin." She smiled and laughed again "I'm Mirajane. Lucy and her friends are sitting at that table." She pointed toward a booth occupied by 5 people and two... cats.

"Ah, hello!" the girl with blonde hair whom I presumed to be Lucy greeted me "How are you feeling? Hey, Natsu Move over." She spoke to the pink-haired boy who was arguing with a blue-haired one. I sat down in front of Lucy and recognised the two other girls as the ones who chased me earlier. "Why did you run away from us right after helping me then?" Lucy asked, snapping me out of my recollections. "I thought you might turn me in." I shrugged. She cocked her head to one side in confusion "Eh? Turn you in?" "Are you some kind of fugitive?" the red-haired woman questioned me "Something like that." I met her piercing gaze "Which is why I hardly associate with people I know nothing of. Unless they're like me." I continued. "What do you mean by that? Who are you exactly?" the blue-haired young man asked. I sighed, I couldn't believe that I was about to tell these people my identity "I am Karin. Captain of the ship Aqua Raven with a bounty of 300 million on her head. A pirate." I introduced myself as formally as I knew how to.

"EHH?" the people at the booth jumped "You must be really strong to have a bounty that high on your head!" the pink-haired boy grinned fiercely "Fight me!" "Natsu-san, she hasn't fully healed yet!" the blue-haired girl tried to stop him. "Nah, I don't mind. Let's take it outside." I smirked.

We faced off in front of the building; most of the partygoers had moved outside to watch. "Natsu's fighting the new girl." "She's pretty cute." "Does she know what she's up against?" I heard these whispers from the crowd that had gathered. "Let's start now! Whoever gets pushed out of the ring loses." Natsu's hands lit up in flames "A logia type, huh..." I thought to myself. "Aaaaaaaah!" he ran toward me, fire in his fists intensifying. I drew water from a young tree behind me, making it wither and explode from lack of moisture and getting a few gasps of astonishment from the crowd. I directed the water toward Natsu, freezing the ground below him solid. He slipped and landed on his shoulder as his flames melted the ice. "So she uses water magic!" I heard Lucy exclaim; Natsu whipped his head toward me and light surrounded his feet "_Karyuu no Houko!"_ he spat out flames much stronger than the ones he had used earlier. Quickly, I let the ground underneath my feet collapse and I escaped into it, sealing the hole again quickly. Above, I could hear panicked voices "Natsu, you killed her!" "What the hell-" and laughed quietly to myself. I could sense his body right above me and kicked hard, intending to send him flying.

"Gwah!" he dodged in the nick of time, but I managed to clip his arm. Surprised cries from the crowd filled the air and turned into cheers "She's an earth mage too?" Erza asked. "Heh. Not bad." Natsu held his left arm and winced in pain. He ran toward me once more, aiming for my gut. I jumped as high as I could, using the air around me to direct my landing a few feet away from him. "_Kazaana_!" I yelled as strong winds burst through my palms that were aimed at Natsu, sending him flying then stumbling out of the ring. The crowd was silent for a moment, then burst out in cheers and loud woots. Mirajane came up to me "Your dinner is ready." She smiled "Thank you." I nodded and walked toward Natsu "You're pretty strong." I held out my hand "Thanks for the battle." He took my hand and grinned "So, you're a pretty nice guy after all!" we all returned to the building.

"Explain to me how you are able to use three different types of magic." Erza said back at the booth after I finished eating. "I was born with the ability to use them. People just assume I ate some sort of super devil fruit or something."

"Devil Fruit?"

"If you eat it, your gain the power of the demon residing in it. It's supposedly extremely rare and people would pay a fortune for one of them. They come from only one tree in the whole world and only on of each fruit can exist at a time."

"That' amazing! I've never heard of it, though." Lucy's eyes widened

"That's strange." I mumbled "Anyway, I need to get back to my-" I stopped short

"Your?" Wendy asked

"Nothing. But please, tell me what island this is called."

"Island?"

"Aren't we on the Grand Line?" I asked

"What's that?" Gray raised his eyebrow

"Wait... where am I exactly?"

**Karin: Soooo, there you have it. Chapter 2! I thought I should post both at once for you guys.**

**Erza: Who are you speaking to?**

**Natsu: She calls it 'The readers'**

**Happy: Is that some kind of fish?**

**Karin: It's not!**

**Lucy: You'll get used to it.**

**Karin: *sigh***

**Gray: Don't sigh like that, it attracts bad luck.**


	4. Decisions

They stared at me in shock, seemingly unable to process the fact that I killed my crew. "I really don't know why I want to go back... All I know is that my existence is a sin itself." I noticed Natsu stand up quickly "You think that it was a sin for you to be born? Don't screw with us!" I remained silent, not bothering to answer "If you had really thought that, then wouldn't you have killed yourself off long ago?" he pressed

"I had people depending on me! As the captain of a ship, I swore lay down my life for them- the ones treated as outcasts and misfits for one reason or another! And now that every single one of them is gone, what's left for me to protect? What reason do I have to live!? I only wish to die!" I yelled back. No sooner had I said this, I found myself flat on my back, glaring into Natsu's eyes "Natsu!" Lucy started I noticed Erza putting her hand on Lucy's shoulder, restraining her. "What do you think that'll accomplish?" he roared. "It's the only way!" I shouted, tears streaming from my eyes, I saw Lucy holding back her own tears. "Don't give me that crap! Stop putting everyone before yourself as if your life was nothing!" I punched Natsu in the face when he said this, and next it was me who was on top of him "I wouldn't expect you to understand!" I was shaking. I took one more look at his enraged expression and dropped my anger. There was only an overwhelming sadness left; I buried my face in my hands. "I don't want to lose anyone anymore..." I sobbed, trembling.

"Karin..." Happy said. Lucy put her arms around me and hugged me tightly "You don't have to keep fighting alone. We're here and ready to fight alongside you. We're your friends." I looked up at her when she said 'friends'. "Ever since I joined Fairy Tail, each battle I had was never fought alone. They've been with me, every step of the way." I glanced the others, Erza, Gray, Natsu and Happy were all staring at me with encouraging looks on their faces. I stared at the ground "Is that really true?" I asked quietly.  
"Of course. That's what comrades do." Gray stated.  
"Karin." Erza called; I looked at her as she smiled "Stay here. With us."

And for the first time in weeks, I smiled. "Yeah..."

**Karin: Okay, this chapter is pretty short... So I'll include a bonus inside-chapter!**

****We walked along on our journey, me along with Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Gray and Happy. I kind of wished Wendy came along, too.

I knew I could trust these people- after all, they went through the trouble of treating me and making me feel at home at Fairy Tail. "Dammit, Gray! Don't go acting all cool!" Natsu yelled, disrupting my thoughts. "I look cool cause you're lame." he replied heatedly. "Calm down, you fools!" Erza scolded, her voice seemingly resounding and striking fear into the two boys' hearts. They immediately stopped and put their arms around each others shoulders, pretending to get along. "Aye!" Natsu squeaked "There's Happy #2 again." Lucy raised her eyebrows. "Aye!" the real Happy said.

I tilted my head to the side. Not ten minutes away from the city and we're already getting into arguments and whatnot. "Erza... what's in the- er- bags?" I asked, glancing at the heavy load the dragged behind her "My armour. I take it around with me like this." she replied as if it were obvious. "Of course..." I mumbled. What strangely happy people...

Night fell, and we made camp. But then it rained suddenly, putting the fire out. "Here, let me." I offered and froze some rain, forming a large igloo that kept us dry enough to start another fire. "That's really cool! It's like Gray's ice-make magic." Happy grinned "I bet she could take on both you and Natsu at the same time and beat you like Erza!" he snickered much to Gray and Natsu's annoyance. "No way! I could take her on myself! Karin, fight me!" Natsu objected "You were already beaten, it's my turn!" Gray retorted, obviously affected by Happy's snide remark. "Hey, you two. Knock it off." Lucy complained "It's getting late, so we should turn in for now." Erza said in the same commanding voice as earlier. When I had turned back to the boys, they were already cozy and seemingly asleep.

"Good night." we bade each other. I laughed to myself as I fell asleep; maybe being around them wasn't so bad at all.


	5. The Enemy Inside

"Don't let him get away!" Natsu yelled as we chased down the final member of a rogue guild that had been terrorizing the nearby towns. "He uses mimicking magic, so he could be anywhere..." Lucy looked around; all she saw were trees and vegetation "It's up to you now, Karin!" "Roger." I closed my eyes and used earthbending to sense where he could be hiding. "There!" I drew water out of the air, froze it into multiple blades and sent them flying toward one of the trees; it ducked out of the way and started to run off again. "Oh no you don't!" Gray tackled him "Ice make human cage!" and trapped the man who was still half-tree. "Dammit!" he yelled.

"Nice work." Gray high-fived me "Right back at ya." I returned the compliment. "Natsu and I will round up the rest of them." Erza motioned for Natsu to follow her and together they made it back to the cave where the rest of the guild lay unconscious. Loki caught up to us with Lucy in his arms "We've taken the stolen money back to the bank." She reported "Until the next time, my dear Lucy!" Loki got down on one knee and blew a kiss at her "Yeah, Yeah..." she ignored him and sent him back to the Celestial World. "Looks like we just need to collect the reward then." Happy chimed when he saw Erza and Natsu coming back with the rest of them. We put them in the cage along with their sulking guild master. "Say, aren't you too young to be a guild master?" I asked him "Like hell I'll tell you anything!" he spat. "Oh well." I shrugged and continued to pull the cage to the police station (Gray had put wheels on it once we were set.) "Karin, watch out!" I heard Happy warn, but it was too late. Something hit me hard and I blacked out.

I awoke to find myself in my room. "Ugh... what happened?" I asked Erza and Lucy, who were having tea on a small table beside my bed. "It appears that the guild master hit you over the head. Although I haven't any idea why." Erza replied "The nurse said you'd be fine once you wake up. How are you feeling?" Lucy asked. I rubbed the back of my head and winced in pain "I'm okay. More or less. Where are the others?" I looked around the room, expecting to see them somewhere. "We sent them out. They were being really noisy." Happy said from behind me, startling me. "Well, I guess we should call them back in, then." I could just make out their bickering from the front door. Erza opened it and the two came stumbling in "At least warn us before opening the door!" Natsu fumed as a huge bumps on his- and Gray's- head appeared. "She's awake." She told the two boys. "Yo, Karin!" Gray greeted "You feeling better?" Natsu asked. "I feel fine." I knocked on my head "You can't crack this nut that easily." They laughed.

It's been three months since I officially joined Fairy Tail. Everyone had already been treating me like I was a member of the guild, and all I needed was the black guild stamp that now adorned my right shoulder. It matched the black eye patch that covered my left eye. I would have thought Natsu or Happy would ask why I always had it on, but Lucy probably told them not to out of respect for my privacy. Or they just assumed every pirate wore eye patches. I tried not to think of the terrible secrets behind it- "rin-chan... Karin-chan!" Mira snapped me out of my thoughts "You've been spacing out all morning. Are you sure you're okay after what happened yesterday?" she seemed genuinely concerned. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine, really." I smiled at her, though unconvincingly. She pouted for a moment but her lips curved back into her warm, cheerful smile "Okay then. But tell me the moment you feel anything strange." And she left to attend to another customer. _What a two-faced bitch._ I thought- wait- what? _ Don't tell me you think she actually means that._ Where was that voice coming from? _Isn't it obvious? I'm your conscience. _ I stood up quickly, upsetting the tankard that sat in front of me.

_Ah, ah. Don't make a scene here._ I froze. My body wouldn't listen to me. _There we go now... shall we head home? _"Mira-chan, I'll be going now!" I smiled and waved at her "Take care!" she was completely unaware that it wasn't me talking to her. Not really me.

"Who are you?" I said out loud once I had reached home. _You don't need to speak out loud. I can hear your thoughts just fine. Or rather, I _am_ your thoughts._ The voice in my head answered. **Liar. You must have been the one that hit me, am I right? You possessed that man to make a dark guild. But you won't make me do as you please.** I threatened it. _I wonder what would happen if I took off this eyepatch?_ It seemed to hiss happily as my hand moved to stroke it gently. I have to admit, it got me there. _Then you'll do as I say._

_**Karin: Hello, everyone! Sorry it took so long to put this up. School can sure be unforgiving ( ) I hate the Thesis! **_

_**Natsu: Karin, you've been ignoring us for weeks! **_

_**Karin: I'm sorry, okay? Look, how can I make it up to you?**_

_**Happy: Fish! Lots and lots of fish!**_

_**Karin: Uh...**_

_**Lucy: Guys, she's trying her best. Look how tired she is! **_

_**Karin: *yawn* Stay tuned for the next chapter everyone... zzzz**_

_**Zoro: Karin, you shouldn't fall asleep anywhere you want.**_

_**Nami: Like you're on to talk!**_

_**Lucy: Again, who are you guys?!**_


	6. History Repeats Itself

"Karin!" I woke up the next morning to the sound of Lucy's voice at the door. "Come in!" I invited her. When she came in, she looked concerned "Are you alright?" she asked "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" 'I' smiled at her. "You've been asleep all day. Look." She drew my curtains and I saw that the sun was setting. "Oh." Was all I said. "Anyways, today Natsu and Happy did something totally unbelievable- again! It all started when..." Lucy went on as I listened. _This is boring_ the voice in my head complained. I ignored it as I directed my focus on Lucy's story. When she was finally done, I offered her some tea. "No thanks, I've got to get home and make sure _nobody_ broke in again." She laughed and said good night. I was thankful that whoever was in my head didn't make me do anything to hurt her. _Ha!_ It laughed for whatever reason. **What's so funny?** I asked _Wanting to protect that girl is so pathetic. It makes me want to hurt her._ It sneered **You promised!** I bargained with it. _Did I? Memories can be fleeting- of course; you'd know that more than anyone... princess._ It spat out the last word with malice...

Two weeks later, everyone in Fairy Tail continued on with their lives; not knowing that the Karin they saw wasn't me. Not really. "Karin!" Gray called me over "Yeah, what's up?" I jogged over to find the rest of my teammates looking at a job offer. "If we can complete this job and split the money, we'd all be able to pay our rents with some left over!" Lucy smiled with enthusiasm "And fish! Lots and lots of fish!" Happy drooled "Restrain yourself, Happy!" Carla scolded him. "So it's settled, then. We'll take this job. I'll inform the master." Erza, cool and big-sisterly as always, looked around for the master.

"So apparently, there's some kind of monster plaguing a village around here. If we follow this path, it should lead us there." Lucy looked over the map "There is it!" Natsu said after a while. Lanterns shone through the trees, leading the way to the village- or so we thought. At first, it did look like a village; the only thing strange was that it was empty. "That's strange. Even if there's a monster around here, there should be at least the person who sent this offer." Erza's eyes narrowed. "Maybe they all got scared and ran away?" Wendy wondered out loud. "Watch out!" an explosion followed the second Gray knocked Lucy out of its way. "It's a trap!" Erza figured. In a moment, we were surrounded by bandits. "They're all magic users..." Wendy said. 'I' stepped forward and attacked them all at once, drawing water out of the air and cutting them down. "Karin!" Lucy screamed as three of them lunged for my back. They suddenly stopped in mid-air; and the rest floated up as well. Their bodies twisted and moved with sickening noises and their faces showed that they were trying to fight against something controlling them. And then it hit me... they were trying to fight against my control. My hand was raised against them as if it was grasping something invisible; whenever a finger moved, one of their limbs did as well. A menacing smile spread across my face. But all this; everything that I was doing, was being done by _him_. _Such power!_ He exulted. "Karin... what are you-" Lucy covered her mouth with her hands. My friends all looked around them at the strange and horrifying sight.

I was glad that I couldn't see myself; If I did, I would probably be disgusted and horrified. In one swift motion, I threw their bodies far away, into the mountains. Hearing their screams satisfied _him_ as he chuckled happily _Now... for the main course._ He... I turned to my friends. "Karin... you..." Natsu's hands were clenched into fists "You..." he said again. I almost cried just then **Natsu... please don't look at me like that...** I whimpered in my head. "You look surprised, Natsu Dragneel." He used my voice to speak **No, no, NO! This can't be happening again!** I screamed in my head "Die." 'I' raised my hand against him and made a slashing motion. A cut appeared on his chest "Agh!" He yelled and clutched at it as the blood flowed freely. "Stop it!" Lucy screamed. I turned to look at her "Shut up you bitch." She gasped as tears welled up in her eyes. "What are you doing?" Erza stepped in between me and Lucy when she saw that I was about to do the same to her as I did to Natsu. Her eyes narrowed again as she scrutinized my face. 'I' laughed- although, it was really in between a laugh and a scream of malicious delight. My arm raised and a large boulder followed it. 'I' punched it into Erza, but she cut it into half. "Ice Make Human Cage!" ice appeared out of nowhere and trapped me for a moment. I broke out by turning it into water and then went for Wendy. Natsu grabbed her as I smashed another boulder to where she was just standing. After a few moments, my friends were injured and some were bleeding. He laughed in my head _This is fun!_ The whole time, my emotions were building up, along with the pain of those awful memories... the lifeless bodies of my crewmates... For a second, a vision flashed in my mind. The lifeless bodies of my friends; their blood covering every part of my body as I stood over them. "**NO!"** I shouted, breaking free of my captor's control for the few moments necessary. "Natsu... everyone... please run. Get away from me..." I clutched my head as he took control once more. This time, he was determined to not let go. "Karin!" Lucy cried "Give us back Karin!" Lucy... she knew that something was wrong with me.

For hours, we battled. I screamed in my head every time they got hurt- every time I hurt them. I couldn't take it anymore, I didn't want to hurt them. **Get out... Get out!... GET OUT! **I screamed. Something strange happened. I couldn't feel his presence in my head anymore; all I heard from him was his screams of agony. What happened is something I couldn't figure out at the time, but all I knew was that he was gone for good.

I was on my knees, panting heavily as my friends approached me. I quickly stood up, not daring to look them in the eye "I'm too dangerous..." I said loud enough for them to hear. I turned on my heel and ran away as fast as I could. "Everyone... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" I sobbed, even though they couldn't hear my voice. I decided then that they would never hear my voice again...

~Lucy~

"Karin! Come back!" I screamed, but she was too far away to hear us. "We have to bring Karin-san back!" Wendy urged us. We spent the whole night looking for her. We wanted to tell her that we knew it wasn't her and that she would never hurt us. We wanted to tell her to come home.

But she was gone.

**Karin: Hello, everyone! It's been a while, huh? Well, don't worry! Only 27 days 'till summer! I've got loads of projects to finish and finals are next month!** **Believe me, I take no pleasure in keeping you waiting... ( ) I'm sorryyyyyy**

**Luffy: Woah, Karin! What the hell did you do just now?!**

**Karin: It wasn't me! It was the evil voice inside my head! But don't worry, this isn't the end of the story!**


	7. Christmas in Fiore part 1

"Karin, fight me!" Natsu urged me once more. "Natsu, let her rest." Lucy sighed. It's only been a day since I returned and Natsu managed to pester me with challenges every time our eyes met. "But we haven't fought in weeks! Come one, you wanna battle too, right?" he pumped his fist in the air. "If it'll get you to leave me alone, then fine. I'll fight you." I gave up.

"Let's make this quick, Natsu. I've got some stuff to do." I crossed my arms impatiently- perhaps I was overdoing the confident act? "Here I go!" Natsu launched himself from where he stood- his fist wrapped in flames "_Karyuu no Tekken_!" he swung at me. Instead of dodging as I usually did, I brought my left hand up close to my face and blocked his attack. Behind me, I could hear surprised cries from my guild mates.

Natsu didn't give up. He unleashed a flurry of attacks, a few of which hit me. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he grit his teeth. "Haaaaaaa-! _Raienryu no_-" the others behind me gasped "_Hokkou_!" lightning and flames burst forth from his mouth, completely enveloping me. "Karin-san!" Wendy cried out.

"Nice one, Natsu." I emerged from the charred forest "How did-" he began, looking shocked that I was still standing after his attack "Although it's much too destructive." I decided to take it seriously, seeing that his last attack weakened him. "_Water nebula!_" I drew water from the air and shot them at Natsu, finally bringing him down. "That's Juvia's-" Juvia's eyes grew wide. I made a peace sign at her "Sorry, I kinda had a hard time naming this move." She laughed at my apologetic look.

"Amazing... Natsu still hasn't been able to beat her." Macao scratched his beard. "Looks like we've got another S-class mage on our hand." Wakaba put his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Well, I wouldn't expect any less from Fairy Tail!" Makarov laughed loudly.

"So, what went on while I was away?" I cozied up by the fireplace with my friends. The wind blew colder, giving us the impression that winter was coming early this year. "You're talking as if you just went on a vacation!" Lucy pouted "Sorry, sorry." I laughed at her expression. "Well, not much. It's just been really quiet while you were gone. How long has it been? About a month or so?" Gray lost his train of thought and stared out the window. "Looks like snow..." he smiled, looking nostalgic.

We followed his gaze; outside, the snow was fluttering down gently, quickly blanketing the ground outside in a layer of white. It wasn't my first time seeing snow, but somehow as I sat there by the fireplace with my friends, it felt like I was seeing it in an entirely different way.

The nights grew longer as winter moved in for sure. Every morning I would either find someone shovelling and salting the streets through my window or, when the snow got too heavy, someone from Fairy Tail (sometimes it was me) spitting fire at the snow to melt it away. We got a lot of job offers and were jumping at each one just as energetically as ever. Except for Nab, who would stand in front of the request board for hours and hours, just ogling the papers.

"Looks like there's gonna be a Christmas party at midnight. Are you dressing up for it, Karin?" Lucy asked as she, Erza and Wendy sipped their tea. It was early evening and the snow was falling lightly again. I was glad my house had internal heating. "Dressing up? Maybe. If you will, cosplay-queen." I grinned at her as she pulled her eyebrows together "I don't even know who gave me that nickname!" she threw a pillow at my head. I let it hit me so she'd feel better. "Come on now, it's Christmas eve! Let's all be happy and forgive each other for the crappy nicknames the give us and whatever!" I put my arm around her neck playfully.

She laughed at my attempt to cheer her up. "Well, I'm sure Virgo can whip up a little something." She said as she took out her key. "Sounds like fun!" Wendy smiled excitedly.

In just a few minutes, we were dressed in the most Christmasy- and not to mention showy for the older girls- clothes we could ever dream of wearing. "This is amazing! Thanks, Virgo!" Lucy turned to her celestial spirit "Is it time for punishment?" she asked. "Uh no..." Lucy waved her statement off.

In the distance, the bell tower tolled in its low, booming voice. "Hey guys, it's time to go." I said as I shut off the lights in my room and met up with them in the living room.

When we reached the guild, we noticed that it was much more crowded that usual. "Master, I didn't know that Blue Pegasus was celebrating with us." Erza said warily. "It was a surprise!" Makarov laughed drunkenly. "My honey!" a voice rang out at made Erza stiffen up "Your parfum is as lovely as ever!" A strange-looking man followed by 3 boys practically floated toward her. "Stay away from me!" Erza sent the man flying to the other side of the room.

"My, my. Looks like Erza still hasn't gotten used to him." The tall brown-haired guy shrugged and turned his attention to us. "Erza..." he knelt down and offered her a rose with his hand on his chest "As beautiful as a blooming rose..."

"I- it's not like I got this especially for you or anything." The dark- skinned on offered Lucy an identical rose. "Not even a whole garden of roses could compare to your beauty, Wendy." Wendy seemed really nervous and flustered when Eve offered her his rose. "Help me, Karin-san!" she whimpered.

"Uhh. Look, Wendy! There's something I have to show you. 'Scuse me." I nodded at Eve before dragging the little girl away. She probably never had any experience with men before. Especially _this_ type. "Thank you." She bowed again and again "No problem. Go find Carla, she's probably with the other kitties."

I was at the second floor gazing down at the ruckus happening down below. Juvia was stalking Gray again, Erza tried her best to avoid Ichiya, as they called him, some poor fool challenging Cana to a drinking contest, Mirajane and Lisana doing their best to serve each rowdy member, and Natsu and Gajeel tearing up the dance floor in some kind of contest. Amidst the clamor and ruckus radiating from every single partying member, I felt oddly calm and peaceful.

"You seem to fit in just fine." A familiar, childlike voice reached my ears. "Oh, First master. You came to join the party I see." I was happy to see Mavis standing beside me, barely reaching the railing to lean on it. "Fairy Tail has become such a wonderful guild." She had a gentle expression on her face as she watched the helter-skelter below. "By the way, do you have anyone you like?" she turned to me, the expression on her face quickly turning into one of mischief.

I almost spit out my beer "What? Where did that come from?" I wiped the corner of my mouth with my sleeve. "I'm seeing lots of couples around here and you don't seem to have any boys near you." She quickly scanned the crowd "You should find the one you love!" she suddenly turned into a match-maker.

"Wait- wait! I've never even thought of something like that!" I tried to stop Mavis but she was already at the bottom of the stairs, looking for a suitable bachelor. "Ah, Karin. Just the person I needed to see." Makarov, amazingly, had made it up the stairs despite his drunkenness. "A call came from one of those fancy- schmancy masions. They're havin a party, see *hic* and they need an entertainer. So I told them I'd send one along. You go, kay?" he passed out right after the last word. "I see... oh well. If the master says so, then I'll go do it. Mira should know where to go..." mumbled to myself as I lay the sleeping master on a bench and smiled down at the old man.

**Karin: Okayyy! So that was part 1 of the Christmas chapter! I wonder if I'll ever find love...**

**Natsu: Dammit, Gajeel! I'll beat you at dancing, I swear!**

**Gajeel: Whatever, Salamander, I beat you at singing!**

**Erza: Keep Ichiya away from me...**

**Lucy: Ren keeps following me around!**

**Wendy: Carla, where are you?**

**Gray: I get the feeling someone's following me again.**

**Karin: And this party's just getting started!**


	8. Christmas in Fiore part 2

After getting directions from Mira, I headed off to do some entertaining at the fancy mansion party- but not before changing into a more appropriate dress thanks to Lucy. "How unfair- we should all be celebrating together and you have to go out and work." She pouted "No worries, Lucy. I'm honoured that master came to me for it. Even though he was drunk." I laughed.

"Ah, you must be our entertainer for tonight?" a tall butler with an accent greeted me. "Yes sir. I'm ready to entertain." He beckoned me to follow him through the heavy wooden doors to a spacious ballroom. Everywhere there were richly-dressed aristocrats eating, talking and dancing on floating platforms. "They sure know how to party." I thought half-heartedly, being used to loud, unruly parties that seemed warmer and welcoming to me.

For hours, I kept the guests amused with the pretty-looking tricks I came up with like making elegant and delicate-looking ice sculptures and making them come to life by moving their limbs as if they were alive the whole time. With this, I would re-enact famous stories and legends while the maestros played.

It wasn't my kind of party, but I had to admit that a little bit of class now and then was kind of fun.

"Thank you for your hard work, milady." The master of the mansion nodded at me "If you would like, you may stay until the party is over. Please feel free to roam as a guest." I curtsied as Lucy taught me to "Thank you, milord." I almost laughed at how fancy I spoke.

I made a beeline for the buffet table, keeping in mind the manners I was taught. Thank goodness I had Lucy teach me everything last minute.

"That was quite a performance, milady." A young, black-haired boy sat in front of me. "Thanks." I cleared my throat "Thank you, sir." He laughed light-heartedly "No need to be so formal with me. I know who you are."

"Do you?" I challenged him "You're from Fairy Tail. The new member who's rumoured to me a pirate with millions on her head." He leaned forward. "Maybe 300 million. Would you believe it if I said so?" I smirked, and he followed. "The name's Karin. I was a captain on my ship from- somewhere far away." "How far?" he asked eagerly "Really far." I shrugged. He grinned "I'm Sebastian."

"You don't seem to use magic from around here." He observed "Smart kid, huh." I commended him. "I suppose I'm about your age, madame." He kept his aristocratic air about him. "Draw." I urged him. "17" I said "21" he said at the same time. I laughed quietly "So you're older than me." He smiled. "I find you very interesting, miss." He said out of the blue.

"Is that so? Tell me, do you use magic?" I asked "I was forbidden to learn magic, but have done so in secret." "Isn't it dangerous to tell me? I might rat you out." "I'll take my chances." He seemed to become bolder and bolder as we spoke.

The party had ended, and everyone was leaving one by one, after saying their fancy farewells. "May I see you again, milady?" Sebastian asked as he was about to enter a horse-drawn carriage. "That's up to you." I grinned. And, without another word, took off like a bullet. Somehow, I could hear him say, in an awed voice, "What an amazing person..." I laughed to myself.

Back in Fairy Tail, the party was still going on with no sign of stopping. "Haha! Now this is how it's done!" I exulted as I dodged someone flying in my direction and joined in the rumble started by Erza's cake being knocked down- again.

**Lucy: Oooh, Karin! Is Sebastian cool?**

**Karin: Well, he's okay, I guess.**

**Erza: Looks like we'll be seeing more of him in the story**

**Wendy: Do you like him?**

**Karin: What? No way! We just met, you know. And where have you been all this time?**

**Natsu: You're not gonna beat me this time, Gajeel!**

**Gajeel: Say your prayers, Salamander!**

**Mirajane: Oh my, my. **


	9. Date!

"Ahh, spring~!" I sighed contentedly. It was my first spring since I got here, and the cherry blossoms just started to bloom. I wandered around town, enjoying the scene of puppy-eyed lovers here and there. It made me feel a bit jealous, though. I wish I had someone...

"Ack! What am I thinking?" I accidentally said out loud, startling an elderly fish vendor

"Sorry, just thinking out loud." I apologized quickly. Seriously, I'm only thinking this way because of spring fever; it'll all go away soon. I quickly made it up the stairs and into my home, hankering for some home-made milk tea.

"Welcome back." A familiar voice greeted me "I'm home- hey, you're pretty rude for a gentleman, Sebby." I smirked at Sebastian. "Hey, hey. No worries- look, I made you milk tea just the way you like it." He presented me with the stuff in my favourite panda mug. I took it with my eyebrow still raised "Fine, you're forgiven." And took a sip. He laughed and plopped down on a chair "Are your teammates back yet?" he asked, seemingly curious.

"They said they'd be back in five days from the mission. Tch, if I hadn't caught that cold the other day, I could've gone with them." I leered at the corner, sulking. "Well, I'm glad." Sebastian raised his hand and extended a finger in my direction "You're all mine for the next few days!" "Eh?"

"Seriously, Sebastian. Quit playing games with me!" I pulled my eyebrows together, still not believing his proposition. "Let's go on a date today." He mused "Hey, listen to what I'm saying!" I muttered. If this were an anime, I'd a tick mark on my face. He grabbed my hand.

"You're. All. Mine." He said again. "You know I could easily throw you out of my house, right rich boy?" I threatened, but he just laughed.

"One date. If you don't enjoy it, I'll leave you alone until your friends come back." I sighed "Fine, fine." I didn't intend for this to happen, but went along with it. Sebastian mumbled something incoherently "Say what?" I asked "Nothing!" he grinned "Let's go, Karin!"

"You know..." I tried to get his attention by speaking loudly "Most people plan these things." he half-dragged me through the streets as we got some well-earned stares from anyone who happened to pass by. "I did! Dinner first." He led me to one of the nicer restaurants.

"Milady." He bowed, resuming his gentlemanly manner of speech instead of the casual type he uses when we're together. I curtsied "Sebby." He grinned as he always did when I called him by his pet name. "Well, let's get this thing going..." I said nonchalantly

We sat at the corner of the restaurant, away from the others who preferred sitting in the middle or by the kitchen. "Okay, so how does this go?" I asked "You've never been on a date before?" Sebastian asked. "Nope." "Ever?" I'd have no reason to lie about such things." "Well, getting to know each other is a good start." I shrugged at his statement "Allrighty, then."

"When's your birthday?" "August 18"

"Really? Mine's on the 19th of August." His grin grew even wider, even though it seemed impossible

An endless stream of questions hit me again and again, I would answer or raise my eyebrow and question his question.

"You're pretty mysterious, you know." He smirked from across the table. "Nah, I just don't feel like answering some of those questions." I wondered if I was being too cold to him and glanced at his expression, hoping to find any indication of frustration. All I saw was something along the lines of fascination- like how some people like to study catacombs or something of the sort.

"It doesn't matter; I'll figure out everything about you in time." He said optimistically

"It's funny how you say that as if you're set on it, Sebastian. It reminds me of a certain young man I know..." I trailed off, my thoughts returning to an old straw hat resting atop the head of one of the most rambunctious people I've met.

Sebastian frowned "A certain young man, huh..." I quickly realized my mistake "A childhood friend, really. Nothing more." I said hastily. The smile returned to his face "Ah, I was getting jealous for a moment there. Although, I still kind of am." He hid his lips with the back of his hand.

"Why?" I wondered what he had to be jealous about. "I wish I could have seen you as a child. I bet you were really cute..." his eyebrows lowered as a blush spread across his cheeks. I had nothing to say and just stared at him in surprise. "I-is that so?" I looked around for something to comment at.

"Well, looks like we're done here!" Sebastian startled me. I noticed the table; during our conversation, we somehow finished our food. He asked for the bill and we were out of the restaurant before I knew it. "You wanna go to the park?" he asked me without meeting my gaze; he was probably still embarrassed about what he said. "Sure. I've never been there at night." I went along with him.

We sat in one of the park benches, staring at the pond. "The ducks are all asleep..." I commented. "Yeah, I guess." He fidgeted. "Hey, what happened to all your spirit from earlier?" I punched him in the shoulder; it looked like I had to take on the active role this time. He laughed nervously "I was wondering if I shouldn't have said that earlier. You looked kind of mad after I did." I thought about it for a moment "I wasn't mad... just surprised, I guess. I mean, nobody has ever said that about me." I started to get nervous, which also surprised me since I rarely ever felt that way. I then realized that I felt different when I was around Sebastian...

"If I may ask..." Sebastian spoke up again. I glanced at him and saw that he had a serious looks on his face "Where did you get that scar?"

I laughed bitterly "You really wanna know?" he nodded, wondering why I laughed like that. "I got it when I killed my crew." I smiled, intimidating at him. He seemed to be taken aback by this "Yup, that's right. I killed them all myself." I said almost proudly.

"Are you scared of me, Sebastian?" he could only stare at me, his expression unreadable.

**Karin: Ahhhh~ I scared Sebby!**

**Natsu: So this is what you've been doing while we were gone**

**Karin: N-Natsu?! I thought you were on that mission with the others...**

**Erza: This is the commentary section, Karin. Our location doesn't make any difference**

**Luffy: Are we gonna be in the story soon?**

**Karin: Lemme just finish this up, 'kay? And to the readers- sorry for the wait! **


	10. A Special Person

We stared at each other in silence for a few minutes; I wondered what was going through his head since it's been long since he last spoke. "I know that you wouldn't have done that deliberately." He finally said "And what if I did? Do you think I'd kill you too, Sebastian?" I decided to push it a little more. He leaned closer; "Even if you killed me a hundred times, my feelings for you wouldn't change."

I drew water from the heavy night air and formed a knife out of ice. "I could kill you right now if I wanted." I brandished it. He took the hand holding the knife and lowered it as he moved his face closer to mine "I'd still like you." He said softly, all traces of teasing disappeared.

It took a long time for me to understand what he had said "What's with that?" I finally asked; his eyebrows rose questioningly.

"You _like_ me?" I wondered out loud. "Yes, I do." He held my gaze. "When I'm around you I feel so excited that I can hardly contain myself. And it's the first time I've ever felt this way toward anyone so... I was afraid of admitting it." His grip on my hand tightened "But I don't want to be afraid anymore, so I'll say it out loud; you're the one I want to be with."

I could feel my face getting warm. He smiled gently "So you're finally speechless." Before I knew it, he started to move closer. "I-"

"I'm sorry, Sebastian!" I turned away from him. "But now that I think about it... there's someone I have feelings for." My thoughts returned to that one man with a frown plastered onto his face, once an enemy of my friends, but now protecting the guild and everyone in it as fiercely as they do.

A look of sadness flickered in his eyes for a moment, but he smiled and released me. "You had no idea about my feelings, huh?"

"No... I'm sorry." I hear myself apologising again and again. "But it's okay. Even if you don't feel the same way, I'm really happy that I was able to tell you."

We sat in silence for a while. "It's getting late, you know." Sebastian broke the silence "Yeah." We stood up and headed for the street "You should tell that person how you feel, too." He advised. "I will, then. But only on one condition." He looked at me, wondering what my condition was.

"You have to tell your parents about what you really want to be."

He almost jumped back "W-what do you mean?" he stuttered

"Sebastian, I'm not blind. I see how your eyes light up whenever you see or talk about guilds and mages. You really want to become a mage instead of a merchant." He sighed

"... really an amazing person. Okay then, it's a deal." He held out his hand and I shook it.

"Good night, Karin." He said once we reached my house. "Good night, Sebby." I smiled back in response.

I switched on the lights in my room and hoped to take a warm bah before hitting the sack when all of a sudden- "Yo, Karin!" Natsu and the rest were making themselves comfortable in my room. "Sorry, I couldn't stop them." Lucy apologised (I knew that they had the habit of doing this to her as well.)

"Thanks for the hard work. And welcome back, too. So, how was the mission?" I sat on the edge of my bed. "It was pretty easy, and since you couldn't come with us, we got you a little something." Gray nodded at Erza, who took out a small box with holes on top.

"Th- thanks a lot." I opened it cautiously- fire? Wait, no. It was some sort of animal? Its head was a blue flame resting on a tiny, delicate-looking body much like a spirit's with hands but no feet. Its eyes were a deeper shade of blue than the rest of it and also very large.

"Wow, it's adorable. Where did you find it?" I turned to them; they looked pleased with how much I loved their little souvenir. "This little guy was one of the animals those bozos were smuggling." Natsu explained. "Eh? Then was it really okay to take it with you?" I wondered.

"Who knows?" he grinned. I could only laugh at how carefree my friends were "You guys are awesome."

They all smiled back in response. "We trust you're feeling well?" Erza inquired "Of course. Much better." I pumped my fist in the air, making sure not to jostle the little fireball sleeping on my shoulder.

"Yeah, she is! She did go on a date with that Chebastian guy." Natsu snickered. "It's Sebastian! And how did-" the blood rushed to my cheeks.

"Well, we were kind of curious." Gray admitted. "So, who's that guy you like anyway?" Lucy asked.

"Y- you guys...!" I stuttered.

**Erza: She's growing up so fast...**

**Karin: E-Erza! **

**Lucy: Come on now, no need to be shy about it.**

**Karin: Lucy, you too?**

**Natsu and Gray: Tell us who he is!**

**Karin: That's enough! Sheesh, I'll tell you then, okay? But not yet...**

**Luffy: Yosh, we're ready when you are, Karin!**

**Karin: That's great, Luffy. Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	11. The Straw Hats Make an Entrance

"I'll be going, then." I waved at my friends who were there to see me off. "Take care, Karin." Lucy and Erza smiled. "Don't forget to bring back something neat!" the boys grinned. "Haha, of course!"

I really missed travelling on the sea and had decided to take a little vacation for about a week or so. Using my savings, I purchased a small vessel that could fit three people.

"Well, she's no rose... maybe more like a little daisy" I pondered on what to name my little pirate ship.

When I arrived, she was already happily floating on the waves, tethered to the harbour. "Hello there. You must be Karin." A kindly old fisherman shook my hand and gestured to my boat. "She's all yours. And I'd say you have fine taste in vessels, my dear." He chuckled as I smiled "Thank you, sir."

I loaded all of my provisions onto Daisy with the help of the old fisherman. "That mark... you're from Fairy Tail, eh? So what kind of magic can you do?" I gave him a quick demonstration. "That's amazing! Are you on a mission or something?" I grinned "I miss the sea. Before coming to Fairy Tail, I was an infamous pirate in my world."

"I've heard about you! Isn't there anyone you miss back there?" he seemed concerned "No worries. I do miss a few other pirates- the only ones I've ever really considered as friends after what they did for me." I held back a sigh. "Anyways, I've gotta get going. Thank you again."

When night fell, I felt peaceful; the gentle rocking of the waves would make any pirate homesick- for the ocean, that is. But if it was like that, it might be called seasick- although that means something completely different.

I laughed at the random thought I just had- looks like Natsu was getting to me. "_Binks no Sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo. Umikaze, kimakaze, namimakaze. Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu... Oretacha yukuzo umi no kagiri..._" I sang to fill the silence.

The sigh that I held back escaped my lips and made me wish to see _those people_ again. Nine friendly faces flashed through my mind; it was as if it was only a short while ago that I met them.

"If someone out there is listening... please let us meet once more." I stared at the stars and wished silently.

A week later, I felt ready to go back home to Fairy Tail. I found the old fisherman once more and said he could use Daisy as he wished until I needed her again. He was quite happy to comply and promised to take good care of her as if she were his own.

It was only a short distance from Port Hargeon to Magnolia as I flew over the treetops. I had expected to see my friends gathered in my room when I opened the door, but was a little disappointed to find my house empty. "I'm home~" I sang anyway. Hikaru bounced out of a vase by my beside to greet me. "Hey there, Hikaru. I've got something for you." My little blue friend chirped when I produced a lamp; within it glowed a green flame. He quickly opened it and swallowed the flame up in one sitting. "Now what will I do if you get a stomachache, Hikaru?" I giggled.

After a bath, I decided to head on over to Fairy Tail and look for my friends.

I was about halfway there when I heard an explosion and dust flying around right by the guild. "Ah, crap!" I sped up and was there in no time.

"Karin!" Lucy called; she was definitely panicky. "Some people showed up and everyone just started fighting all of a sudden! We should go somewhere safe-" my eyes spotted a familiar hat and my throat constricted. No... it couldn't be.

"Gomu gomu no..." but it WAS!

"LUFFY!" I hug-tackled him. "Uwah- what the hell- KARIN! You're alive!" I was right! Monkey D. Luffy- my friend.

The dust settled and I found that he wasn't the only one there. "Z-Zoro! Nami! Sanji! Usopp! Robin! Chopper! Brook! Franky!" a look of recognition all replaced their battle-faces. "Karin!" they had a mixture of shock and happiness on their faces.

My guild mates looked at me, the Straw Hat pirates, and each other in puzzlement. "You... know each other?" Max asked incredulously. "Eh? Karin, you know them?" Nami raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, they're... all of you are my friends." I smiled happily.

"How'd this ruckus start anyway?" I asked. My guild mates looked at each other and said in unison "Natsu." I sighed. I should have known! "Natsu!" I called out in an annoyed tone. "Y-yes, ma'am!" he said stiffly. I laughed "It'd make me upset if my friends didn't get along, you know!"

He grinned "Sorry, my bad." Luffy stood up "Well, if you're her friend, you can't be such a bad guy."

"Well, that our captain for you." Zoro smirked. "Looks like it's gonna be noisier from now on." I laughed. Lucy tilted her head to one side "What do you mean?"

No less than an hour later, the whole guild was celebrating the "New friendships" but I'm sure they just wanted to party. I was glad, though, that everyone got along so well after all that's happened. "Hey, Robin. Could I please talk to you?" I tried to pry her away from Wakaba and Macao. "Aww, come on, Karin!" they complained "I'll tell your wives!" my eyes glinted. "Ah-ha-ha! Go along now." They laughed nervously.

"Robin, how did you guys get here?" I asked her when she sat down with me- Erza and Lucy were also there. "We don't know for sure, really. We were in the middle of a battle with one of the seven warlords-" "Wait!" I cut her off "Seven warlords. You mean- Doflamingo?" her eyes widened. "Yes, how did you know?"

"What are the seven warlords?" Lucy asked "They are the pirates allowed to move freely since they're under the Government." I summed it up. "Is that how you got here, too?" Robin moved closer as the music got louder.

"Yes. After my crew was killed. Ah, what happened after I disappeared?" I asked curiously. "We received the news that your ship was found drifting around and almost got caught in a whirlpool near Impel Down. The marines identified you ship and crewmates but your body was never found, although you were pronounced dead. We were really upset when we read it on the news." She related her story. "So that's how it is... sorry for worrying you guys. I'm glad we got to meet again, but we have to get you all back to our world." I turned to Lucy and Erza "We should tell everyone tomorrow about this. Before Luffy fights Natsu and Zoro fights Erza or even more time-consuming... Sanji hits on every girl in the guild." I glanced over my shoulder to see him hovering around Evergreen as Elfman sits mysteriously quiet not too far from them. "Yikes." I smiled.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy to see you all- but you can't all accomplish your dreams if you're stuck here." Robin smiled, happy to hear that I thought of them that much. "For now, let's all have fun, shall we?"

I grinned at Lucy, Erza and Robin. "Yeah!"

**Karin: Wah, how exciting! A new adventure!**

**Luffy: This meat is great!**

**Natsu: Hey, check this out! *eats fire***

**Luffy, Usopp and Chopper: A- AWESOME!**

**Nami: I don't get why it's so cool to them**

**Lucy: M-me neither.**

**Cana: You'll never beat me, marimo! I was born to drink!**

**Zoro: What was that, you- ?**

**Karin: Now, now...**

**Franky: This building is SUUUUPER!**

**Brook: Excuse me, would you be so kind as to let me see your panties?**

**Erza: *smacks Brook***

**Brook: Yohohoho- how feisty!**

**Robin: *giggle***

**Mirajane: My, my**

**Sanji: Would you like some more to drink, Mira-chan? 3**

**Gray: S- skeleton...**

**Happy: It's definitely noisier around here**

**Karin: Goodness, this has gone too far! Stay tuned for the next chapter! **


End file.
